The church is facing tough issues globally, nationally, and locally. Many people leaving the church communities are struggling with no anchor of hope, and people are trying to find a “savior” in all the wrong places. Pastors are stressed; they search for answers on how to be excellent in their calling, and they constantly have big decisions to make when leading and serving people.

Those that are currently serving God in pastoral ministry or those of you preparing to enter that calling will find wisdom and insight in this book. I’m passionate about helping you become the pastor God wants you to be. I’ve written this book just for you. I interviewed 10 senior pastors, asking each of them 10 sets of questions on 10 different topics, to collect information that will help you be a more effective pastor moving forward.

Here are the questions we cover:

1. Retrospection - Based on your life experiences, what would you tell the younger version of yourself just starting out in ministry?
2. Mentorship - What role have spiritual leaders and mentors played in your life? Who were they, and why were they important to you? How did they empower you and give you opportunities to grow?
3. Reading - What top three Christian books have influenced you the most, and why?
4. Speaking - What does your sermon writing and delivery process look like? What resources, technology, methods, and mind-set do you use?
5. Hardship - What is the hardest part about pastoral ministry?
6. Technology - What role does technology play in your ministry? How important is social media to ministry? Do you find it important to stay on the cutting edge or stick with what you know?
7. Growth - How do you keep yourself growing and getting better personally and professionally? How do you keep yourself passionate and fired up especially when times are tough?
8. Family - How do you balance work and family and why is that important?
9. Past - How has ministry and the church as a whole changed from when you started to now?
10. Future - What strategies and tactics should church leadership be doing now to be effective in the future?

You will learn from their successes and their failures as you listen to the answers that come from years of experience in this field of work. I know this book will be incredibly helpful to you because as a pastor myself, these conversations - and more importantly, these friendships - have been incredibly helpful to me.

This book will give you the training you won’t find at a Bible college or in a seminary class; this is battle-tested advice. Invest in yourself and your church by learning from pastors who are walking the road of ministry. If you’re ready, let me introduce you to your new friends and bring you into our conversations.